Clear Line of Sight
by BregoBeauty
Summary: When a group of assassins train their scopes on an unsuspecting crowd, someone will be caught in the crossfire and someone will die...but will it be the target?
1. Prologue

**Clear Line of Sight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Summary:** After a chance meeting with a stranger shattered her life, Lisa Reisert is finally recovering. With a newfound confidence in herself, she begins to make the most of each and every day. Then people connected to her start to die…

Now Lisa's on the run in an elaborate game of cat and mouse where the losers die.

**Prologue**

Sunlight filtered through the clouds and struck Lisa Reisert's red-brown curls as she stepped out a store in the busy shopping center in the heart of Miami. She threw up a hand to shield her green eyes from the bright sunlight as she dashed towards the parking lot.

That's when the shooting begin.

Screams echoed around her and the other shoppers dove to the ground; some hit and bleeding. Others were panicking and Lisa did her best to try and reassure the various groups hunkered down nearby. Her managerial skills were in overdrive and she was doing her best to calm and comfort the frightened people around her as she dug in her purse for her trusty cell phone.

Time seemed to have stopped as she scanned for visible signs of a gunman and waited for the 911 operator to pick up. Lisa also sought better cover from bullets as the gunshots continued to ring out.

In a moment of shear stupidity, she stood up and prepared to dash back towards the stores. But then a man with an intense blue-eyed gaze and long brown hair grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her roughly to the ground. A bullet whizzed towards them and struck her cell phone as gravity brought her crumbling down with him.

"Stay down, Leese," he hissed and Lisa gasped in surprise. It had been at least a week since had consciously thought of him.

"J-Jackson?"

**Author's Notes:**

This story has been hanging out in my notebook for a while, so I figured I'd finally post the beginning. Enjoy and thanks for reading/reviewing!


	2. Chapter One

**Clear Line of Sight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter One**

_Two months earlier…_

A kettle whistled and Lisa poured the boiling water into a mug already prepared with a tea bag and a few sugar cubes. It was shortly after 1am and she had not slept in at least a week. Stress from both her job, which she had recently lost, and also from the trauma she had suffered at the hands of a charming young man.

The previous week, when the recent nightmares had begun, she had been taken hostage on a red-eye flight from Dallas, TX back home to Miami, FL. He had been a stranger named Jackson Rippner with a smooth, even tone that relaxed her. That of course was before she had ripped a hole in his windpipe with a pen that she stole off a sleeping passenger.

He had evened things out by attacking her with a knife.

In the end, she had been victorious and he had been incarcerated. As far as she knew, he was still locked up in a maximum security prison, awaiting trial for his heinous crimes against her along with conspiracy to commit murders and solicitation of murder. But even with him behind bars, she was still tense and unable to sleep through the night. She had contemplated sleeping pills to battle the inherited insomnia from her father but Lisa had never taken the small blue pills.

Sipping her hot tea cautiously, Lisa stared out her kitchen window into the darkness. She still jumped at shadows occasionally; worried that a certain blue-eyed predator was still hunting her. A small level of confidence had been gained from their encounter, but she was even more careful when it came to strangers—especially attractive, charming men.

_Damn you, Jackson _she mentally cursed before retreating to her tidy living room and flipping on the TV.

As she channel-surfed, she came upon one of her favorite old, black-and-white movies.

_Ah, the days when actors and actresses could act. How times have changed…_

She smiled as Audrey Hepburn's character attempted to stick her hand in the Mouth of Truth. Her character, the Princess Anne, or Anya as she had told Gregory Peck's character, Joe Bradley, had been lucky enough to fall for a stranger who was an actual gentlemen, even he had been planning on using her for a newspaper story.

Lisa settled into the movie and watched it for the remainder of the time. Her tea lay on an end table; forgotten as she watched the heart-wrenching conclusion as the pair was split up by Anne's sense of duty to her people.

No matter how many times she watched _Roman Holiday,_ it never kept her from crying and wishing for a different ending.

_It's almost a movie about you and me—did you know that when you met me?_

Jackson had been the one with the secrets and hidden agenda, but unlike Joe's and Anne's agendas, his had actually hurt live people. He had hurt her and he had nearly killed an innocent family for the sake of monetary rewards.

_How can you justify murdering people for profit? How can you live with yourself?_

But he would have to answer to a higher power one day and she was waiting for it.

* * *

_Present Day_

"What are you doing here?" Lisa demanded angrily as she ripped her arm free.

"What does it look like? You think I'm taking a fucking walk in the park here?" He shook his head and let lose an odd-sounding laugh.

"I wouldn't put it past you."

"That's just great, Lisa—really. Here am, risking my life to save yours…"

"Really? I though you were still fairly pathetic, Jack. You only said, what, two words at the entire trial? I think it was 'not guilty' and you let your lawyer do the rest of the talking for you—"

"For once in your life, can you shut up?" he hissed; ensnaring her throat with his bare hands and squeezing. "I have no ambition to get shot today and neither should you."

She gasped and paled; clawing at his grasp in an attempt to achieve air. But then a shot whizzed by overhead and he released her. Lisa fell forward as she sucked in unrestricted air.

"Are you happy now? They've started again."

"Why… are… you… here?" wheezed Lisa.

"To keep you from walking into a trap, but I can see that it's a little late for that."

"What?"

"Don't you see it yet? God, you're naive, Leese." He laughed again.

"What the hell is going on, Jack?"

"You're the target, Lisa. They're aiming for you."

**Author's Notes:**

I decided to mix the past two months and present time together to show what's happened to led up to everything, so it'll take a while for the whole plot to unfold. Enjoy and thanks so much for reading/reviewing!

I meant to get this chapter up sooner, but I sprained my ankle. I've been out of commission, so it kind of stopped my writing. But I finished exams, so updates should be more frequent.

As for all the stuff about _Roman Holiday_, it was on TV the other day and I also own it on DVD. I'm a sucker for the classics and it's one of my favorites. How I can relate it to _Red Eye_ is pretty strange, but I'm doped up on pain meds, so what can you expect?


	3. Chapter Two

**Clear Line of Sight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Two**

_Six weeks earlier…_

The shrill ringing of the phone woke Lisa from a semi-deep sleep. It was well after 2pm and sunlight was attempting to stream through the shaded windows of her apartment. She reached for the cordless phone that was lying carelessly on the floor beside the couch and answered it with a groggy "Hello?"

"Lisa." A sad voice came over the line. It was her father.

"Dad? What's wrong?"

"Do you remember Cynthia?"

_Something's not right. Something's really not right…_

"Of course I do." How could she forget the redhead who had managed to save the Keefe family from the missile aimed at their hotel room?

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but she's…"

"He killed her, didn't he?" Lisa asked quietly; her voice quivering and barely above a whisper.

"There's no proof that he had anything to do with it, but she's dead. Murdered three days ago."

"Oh God." Lisa felt a sharp pain inside. Cynthia, sweet and trusting Cynthia, was dead. Her good friend had been murdered and it was all because of her.

"Do you think—?"

"He knew her name. He did it—I know he did. He's doing this to get back at me because he can't touch me. Poor Cynthia, she had no one to protect her…"

"This isn't your fault, Lisa. If he did it, then he's the one to blame. You did not kill her."

"Dad, I've got to go," she said quickly before hanging up the phone.

_This isn't real… It's all a bad dream… She can't be dead…_

With her hands shaking, Lisa picked up the phone again and dialed the phone number of the police officer that had been dealing with her for the past three weeks since Jackson's capture.

"Why, hello, Miss Reisert. I had a feeling that I'd be hearing from you soon." The cheery voice of Detective Brown was a welcome change.

"So you know about Cynthia?"

"Yes, it's a real shame about her. She never had a chance to fight back."

_Unlike me… but Cynthia wasn't ever a fighter._

"Where…where is Jackson? I have to know."

"Miss Reisert, I can assure you that Jackson Rippner is in our custody. He won't be going anywhere soon and he hasn't been anywhere lately," the kindly police officer reassured her.

"But—"

"Mr. Rippner had nothing to do with your friend's murder. He's still heavily drugged. Don't forget that he was shot twice and suffered several stab wounds just three weeks ago…"

"I know all that, but—"

"He can't even get out of bed, let alone attack a healthy young woman and kill her. I'm telling you, he had nothing to do with this. Perhaps a friend of his did, but he did not physically murder her."

"Thank you, Detective," Lisa said wearily.

"I wish I could give you the answers you're seeking, but I don't have them."

"I know."

"Sleep well, Miss Reisert. I'm sure you're going to need it."

"Thank you." She hung up the phone again and stared at the ceiling.

Even locked up, he was still getting the best of her. He was still hurting her and the people that she cared for.

_Damn you, you smug-faced bastard! How could you do this? How could you sit there and order her murder, like this? How could you?!_

Her uneven breathing turned into choked sobs as she curled up in a ball on the couch.

_I'll show you… I'll be your target. I won't let you steal my life. You'll see…_

She would have to stop hiding and try to draw him away from her remaining friends and family. If she was out in the open, then she could be his focus; his fixation. She could be the one he struck at next, instead of sneaking around in the night and killing off her friends.

_I'll win again… I promise. You won't hurt anyone else…_

_I won't let anyone else be your victim._

* * *

_Present Day_

"Oh, so now I'm the target? What about Cynthia and the others? What were they? Practice for your sick little game?" Lisa railed angrily; smacking Jackson in her fury. "They did nothing to you!"

Her pitiful blows did little but enrage the ex-assassination manager. He reached for her neck once more and squeezed it tightly as he shook her.

"What do I have to do to get this through your thick skull?" he rasped; his breathing still slightly off from the neck wound she had given him nine weeks prior. "_I_ _have nothing to do with this!_"

"Then… why… are… you… here?"

Jackson shot her a scathing look before coolly responding, "To save your pathetic, worthless life."

"If it's so pathetic, why are you saving it? Why not let me die? Doesn't it make your job easier?"

"My job was never to kill you."

Lisa let out a haughty laugh. "Sure it was! You _kill_ people for a living and you want me to believe that I wasn't on some list? Haha, very funny, Jack!"

"Only the Keefes were supposed to die."

"And Cynthia and the others, they were what? Collateral damage?"

He sighed loudly. For a moment it appeared that he would move to strangle her once again, but he did not reach towards her. Instead, he shoved his hands into his dark hair and bent forward as if winded and in pain.

"I did not kill them," Jackson spoke quietly. "I never touched them."

"You had someone else do the dirty work for you. One of your men broke into Cynthia's house, raped her, and killed her. Her body was left there to rot for three days before she was found. She _never_ did _anything_ to _you_! And she was treated like an animal!" Lisa screamed at him, until he broke his quiet stance and covered her mouth with a hand.

"If you could just shut up for a few minutes, then we might both make it out of here alive. Do we understand each other?"

Lisa shot him a dirty look but her words were muffled by his tight grip.

"Do…we…have…a…deal?" Jackson questioned painstakingly slow; drawing out each word with the utmost precision and care.

She grumbled then nodded in agreement.

"Peachy." He released her and patted the side of her cheek like he had in the cramped bathroom just over two months ago. "Now, let's get down to business…"

**Author's Notes:**

Yes, poor Cynthia was killed. She's only the first of a string of casualties linked to Lisa. The whole story of how Lisa became the target will come out soon—I promise.

Thanks for reading/reviewing and enjoy the story!

It's very strange for me to be writing about sun when it just snowed last night! Wooo! But I still had school—I blame it on the salt trucks that were out last night. Oh well…


	4. Chapter Three

**Clear Line of Sight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Three**

_Five weeks earlier…_

Lisa flipped on the TV and sank down onto her couch. She curled up underneath the throw blanket that usually graced the back of couch and allowed the thick blanket to consume her tiny frame.

"Earlier today, we reached some startling footage of a plane crash," began the news anchor, as she shuffled her stack of papers. "On board was Deputy Director of Homeland Security Charles Keefe, who had a previous attempt on his life just last month in Miami. Mr. Keefe was killed when the plane exploded while landing on the tarmac at BWI. Here's the clips…"

Lisa stifled a gasp with her hand as the image of a jet landing filled the screen. Just as the wheels touched the ground, the belly of the plane exploded and the plane went up in flames. No one left the wreckage.

"Oh God…"

_Why, Jackson? Why risk getting caught? What did he ever do to you? He didn't deserve this!_

"The man charged with conspiracy to commit murder during the assassination attempt last month, Jackson Rippner, is still in custody. He is not suspected of having been involved in the death of Charles Keefe."

Lisa angrily flicked the TV off and curled up tighter in a ball. She rocked back and forth slightly as her breaths came in gasps. First, Cynthia had been murdered, then a week later Charles Keefe was dead. Everyone with a connection to either her or the assassination were being silenced.

_Why not me? Why don't you just go ahead and kill me, Jackson? My life's already over. You've already as good as killed me._

But deep inside, she knew it was only a matter of time before she ended up dead as well.

* * *

_Present Day_

"If you don't follow my directions exactly, then we both die. Do you get that? This is bigger than me or you," Jackson said coolly, still hovering beside her as they lay on the ground.

"What the hell is going on? Why are you even here?"

"I already told you." His voice and posture turned stiff and awkward.

"No, you didn't," protested Lisa as she shook her head. "All you said was some bullshit about saving my "pathetic life", but you never told me why. I need to know _why_, Jackson. Why are you here?"

Jackson sized her up with a look and she held her ground; never blinking or breaking eye contact with him. He sighed and hung his head for a moment.

"I won't lose you, Leese. You're unique and you're too good for them to pick you off from a distance."

"That makes me feel so much better about being shot at now," she said sarcastically; rolling her vibrant green eyes at him.

"You really want to know the truth?"

"It might be a good thing to understand what the hell is going on, so yeah, I want to know the truth!"

Jackson was quiet for a moment as Lisa seethed openly at his doublespeak and duplicity that he used with such practiced ease. He obliviously did not want to tell her why he was there, much less explain his strange actions.

"The truth is," his voice dropped to a low whisper, "that I can't let go of you. I refuse to. I heard about the contract on your life and I managed to figure out when it was planned for. I knew that I was next on their list anyways…"

"Why? Why are they after us?"

He shot her a wry smile. "Why, my dear Lisa? The simple fact that we knew about the Keefe job makes us targets. They have decided to tie up all the loose ends—starting with Cynthia, then Keefe, the police officer in charge, your father, and finally us."

Lisa looked confused. "My father?"

"Did you know? He was killed this morning."

She shook her head at him. "No…" she whispered mournfully. "No!"

As Lisa started to sob, Jackson drew her to his chest. She curled her fists up and beat at him, but he held on tightly.

"Ssh, ssh, Leese," he soothed; stroking her back and smoothing her hair with his fingers. "I won't let them hurt you."

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry about the wait between chapters. I'm hoping to pick up the updating pace soon, but right now my life is pretty wacky. Anyways, thanks for reading/reviewing and enjoy!


	5. Chapter Four

**Clear Line of Sight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Four**

_Four weeks earlier…_

Lisa was getting to be really sick of funerals. Two funerals in less than two weeks were draining, not mention that it had only been five weeks since her grandmother had passed away. She hated dressing in black and listening to incomprehensible ramblings of others who talked about the deceased in past tense.

Not to mention that at least 90 of the people at Charles Keefe's funeral were giving her odd glances and doing their best to stay far away from her.

_I didn't do it! It was Jackson—he did this! He killed him!_

Not that anyone cared. The police had even gone as far as to suspect her in the second attack and questioned her. She had no alibi and complied with her involvement in the first assassination attempt, it was beginning to look more and more like she would soon have a nice cell in a maximum security state prison soon—or a padded room in a locked psych ward.

No one believed her anymore and she knew she was running out of time. There were only a precious few people left in her life now that Cynthia and Keefe had both been murdered.

And they were not safe for long.

_I swear that when I get a hold of you, you're going to wish that pen had killed you…_ Lisa thought darkly as the service ended and she tossed a rose into Charles Keefe's grave.

The only option she had left was to go head-to-head and face-to-face with the man who had single-handedly destroyed her life.

* * *

_Present Day_

"No… I don't believe you! I won't believe you!" Lisa hissed, shoving Jackson violently away from her. "He can't be dead!"

"I wish I was lying," he responded softly; his tone implying that he was hurt too. "I'm sorry, Lisa. I never meant to get you involved in this mess…"

"Then why'd you do it? Why the hell do you approach me on the plane that day? If you didn't have to, then why did you? We—we could have had something if you hadn't—"

She trembled and he reached out to hold her again, but she roughly smacked his hands away. "No! No more! You did this! YOU KILLED THEM!" she shouted.

A few people turned to stare at them. Jackson gritted his teeth and tried to control his anger, but she knew it was only a matter of time before he lost it and attacked her once more. Lisa had to get out of there before the assassination manager reached his boiling point.

"Miss? Are you okay?" a concerned woman hiding nearby asked.

Jackson's right hand found her wrist and he dug his fingernails into her tender skin painfully in a warning to her. She winced in pain, but quickly flashed a smile to the other woman, a middle-age blonde with a kind face.

"I'm okay," Lisa said softly.

The woman eyed Jackson warily, but he flashed her one of his charming smiles and pretended to be stroking Lisa's wrist, instead of controlling her via pain signals. She relaxed, but there was still evidence of distrust in her gaze.

Jackson slide closer to her and his breath tingled her neck as he leaned towards her ear. "I had nothing to do with this. You have to believe me. If you don't, why don't you stand up right now and let them take a shot at you. It'd make my life a heck of a lot easier."

Lisa spun around and shot him a glare. "Fine," she snapped, disentangling herself from him. "I'll prove you wrong."

He lost the smug look upon his face the moment she stood up on shaky legs with her arms raised in the air and her green eyes darting around to look for the shooters. The shooting had ceased while she had been arguing with Jackson but deep inside she knew they were still there—they were waiting for her.

"Come and get me, you bastards!" she challenged, mere seconds before the bullets came flying towards her head and her life began to flash before her eyes.

_Forgive me…_

**Author's Notes:**

Hehehe, I love my cliffies! I've got a cold that's put me in a bad mood and a very large project due in two days, so I'm sorry for the short length and the ending. I hope that I'll be able to update again soon, but I make no promises on that.

However, there will be more action. I promise that!

Thanks for reading/reviewing and enjoy!


	6. Chapter Five

**Clear Line of Sight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Five**

_Two weeks earlier…_

"I want to see him," Lisa said quietly as she sat down in front of Detective Brown, who jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Miss Reisert?"

"I want to see him," she repeated; her firm tone never wavering.

"See who?" He appeared confused as he glanced at her over the top of his battle-worn desk. Pilled before him was several stacks of files—she had apparently caught him in the middle of his paperwork day.

"_Him_. I want to see Jackson Rippner."

"I'm sorry, but with the trial, I can't—"

"Detective, I know he's behind everything. I know that he killed Cynthia and Mr. Keefe. I _know_. He's going to keep hurting the people I know unless I face him. One-on-one."

Detective Brown sighed and stood up. "Let's go for a walk, Miss Reisert," he suggested and escorted her from the station and out into the bright sunshine.

When they were a good distance away from the busy police station and there was no one around them, the friendly police officer turned to her. "Miss Reisert, I want to believe you about him, but there's just no proof. We can't connect him to these crimes. He's going to walk."

"You mean, he's not gonna…oh God," Lisa said, her voice shaking as she began to get his meaning.

"Yes," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"So you mean… he'll be able to finish me off himself, won't he?"

Detective Brown never got a chance to reply. A bullet found his heart and he grabbed his chest. Lisa screamed and tried to stop the bleeding as he slowly slumped to the ground; leaning heavily on her. His blood flowed on her clothes and she called out for help. No one came until it was too late and he had already passed on.

"Damn you!" Lisa cried out in frustration. "Damn you, Jackson!"

He had killed the one man trying to help her. The only man who could have helped keep her safe from him.

She was alone.

* * *

_Present Day_

"Damnit!" Jackson swore before launching himself at Lisa's shaking form. She screamed as he wrapped his arms around her and used his momentum to drag her to harsh, unforgiving pavement for the second time that day.

But he was a split second too late. Two of the bullets had nearly found their mark. One had sliced her forehead; narrowly missing her skull and the brain secured inside. The other had buried itself in her left arm just below her shoulder.

Lisa was trembling and her wounds were bleeding furiously. Her teeth chattered from an unseen chill and she appeared to be disoriented either from the shots or from her fall.

"Stay with me, Leese!" he urged as he pulled his dress shirt off. He ripped the expensive fabric into strips and tied one tightly above the bullet wound in her arm to slow the blood flow. He pressed another strip to her forehead as her green eyes rolled around.

He smacked her cheek to keep her with him. _Don't you dare die on me, Lisa! Not after all this—hold on!_

She moaned and glanced towards him. "Jack…?"

"Ssh, Leese. Stay still and save your voice. You're gonna be okay. I promise. Okay? Just keep looking at me—stay with me!"

The pain was threatening to push her into unconsciousness. If she went to sleep, there was a good chance that she would never wake again. Another bullet or the concussion that she most likely suffered from the fall would make sure of that.

He would lose her for good because of his stupid, thoughtless remarks.

* * *

_One day earlier…_

"In the case of the State of Miami v. Jackson Rippner, we find the defendant not guilty," spoke the jury foreman, much the stunned crowd's surprise. Instantly, whispers began to fly around the packed courtroom and he could feel everyone's eyes resting upon him.

The ruling had not been a shook to Jackson Rippner. He had known from the beginning that he would get off. Everything the police had was circumstantial. They had no hard proof because he had destroyed anything that could have linked him to the bombing of the Lux Atlantic prior to boarding Flight 1019. If anything, Lisa Reisert should have been on trial and convicted for the same crimes with the addition of assault. It had been Lisa's seemingly unprovoked attack that had helped win him favor with the jury.

Being kept in jail for the past two months had only been a formality due to the charges against him. No judge in their right mind would have given a man charged with conspiracy to commit murder and the attempted murder of a government official a chance to make bail. It simply was un-American because to many people Jackson Rippner was a traitor to the United States.

But not Lisa Reisert. She was a saint that beaten the big, bad bully and saved a man and his family.

Even if a few weeks later he had lost his life…

It was strange how the murders of Lisa's good friend Cynthia (he had never bothered to learn her last name), Charles Keefe, and Detective Brown had helped him be acquitted. He was sure that Lisa was convinced that he was behind the series of murders, but his current incapacitated state had kept him in the clear.

After all, how can a man locked up in a maximum security prison with a hole in his windpipe, two bullet wounds in his chest, and a hole in his thigh possibly murder three people?

Had he wanted to, there was no way anyone could have kept him from ordering those murders, but what was in it for him? Sure, it probably scared Lisa to death, but what did it accomplish?

Nothing. Killing those three people did nothing for him.

The only person connect to this mess that mattered to him was Lisa Reisert and she was still alive. And he would do anything to keep her alive.

His victim was, for lack of a better word, special. She was a rarity—the unique woman who would match wits with him and fight him tooth-and-nail to the bitter end to stop him because of some well-ingrained concept of good v. evil.

And he loved her because of it.

_Love_ he chuckled to himself. _What is love? It's a foolish notion that makes otherwise brilliant people make stupid decisions… Shit, I just described myself._

His one mistake in the plan—his one and only flaw—had been to follow her home. Had he decided to cut his losses and try to appease his boss, then he would have never been caught. Lisa would have been blamed, perhaps even labeled delusional, and he would have waltzed off into the sunset by himself, free as a bird.

But still, he was a free man once again. Even if it was only to enjoy the last few hours of his life…

His boss would never let him live long. Nor would he, for that matter, allow Lisa Reisert to survive.

Time was running out for both of them. Time that neither of time had.

**Author's Notes:**

A pretty long chapter, but once I again I leave you all with a cliffie. At least I started to explain Jackson's motivation for saving Lisa.

Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	7. Chapter Six

**Clear Line of Sight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Six**

_Present Day_

"Stay with me, Lisa!" he urged her. Lisa was sliding into shock and it was only a matter of time before the pain dragged her under into a sleep from which she would never wake.

"Can't… pain…" she muttered; trying to close her eyes again.

Jackson responded with a quick smack. "Fight it!"

"Pain… Jack… in pain…"

The bullet lingered near the surface of the wound. Jackson could readily see it and knew the fragment of metal would have to come out soon or else he would risk Lisa's injury becoming worse.

He grabbed for Lisa's purse. He dumped the contents onto the ground beside them; glancing back at Lisa every few seconds to make sure she was still conscious. He shifted through the various articles that littered the hot pavement and smirked when he extracted a pair of tweezers. Why Lisa kept them in her purse, he did not know nor did he care. All that matter to him was removing the bullet from her arm.

There was nothing he could use to sterilize the tweezers or the wound. He would have to get Lisa immediate medical attention once they escaped. All he could find was a small bottle of water rolling around on the ground to wash the wound with.

"Lisa, look at me," he demanded; grabbing her chin and angling her face towards his. "This is going to hurt, but I need you to stay with me. Do you hear me, Leese?"

"Pain…" she whimpered.

"I know, Leese, I know. I'm trying to help you, okay? Just stay with me."

Her face screwed up in pain as he carefully reached towards the bullet with the tweezers. She whimpered softly as Jackson touched her tender flesh. He yanked the metallic object free and then she gasped in pain.

"Ssh, ssh. It's over now. It's gone. You're going to be okay, Lisa. Just stay with me."

Lisa nodded slightly at him; understanding his words. Jackson wet a strip of cloth with the water and began to cleanse her wounds as best he could. She whimpered at the sting occasionally and squirmed, but he managed to keep her semi-still.

Jackson carefully sat her up and handed her some aspirin along with the last of the water. "For the pain," he told her and she swallowed the pills.

"It hurts." Lisa still gasped for breath and her slender body was shaking despite the heat.

"I know, Leese, I know how much it hurts. Don't forget, you shot me not too long ago." Jackson shot her a worried grin as he stroked her hair and tried to comfort her.

She sent him a shaky half-smile. "I haven't forgotten."

"Good. Now we have to get you out of here. Do you trust me?"

"Not as far as I can throw you."

He snickered. "Well, we're even then. I don't trust you enough to let you see my back—you might just be hiding a pen somewhere."

Lisa laughed; a cross between a cough and a gasp. A small smile graced her face at the very thought.

"Let's get you out of here, okay?"

"Yeah."

He quickly tossed her belongings back into her purse and placed it on her good shoulder. Jackson carefully tied more fabric strips in a make-shift bandage around her wounds. When he seemed satisfied with his handiwork, he removed two guns—one from a holster on his hip and another that he had tucked in the waistband of his dress pants. He handed one to Lisa.

"This is a gun, Lisa," he instructed seriously. "The bullet comes from here, you press this trigger here…"

* * *

_A few hours earlier…_

His first few hours of freedom were spent getting his life back in order, only for him to drop everything and run.

Word had reached Jackson Rippner's ears of an assassination attempt to be carried out on Lisa Reisert that same day. _His_ Lisa.

No matter what, he could not let the hit men succeed. It was a risky job to begin with—civilians crawling all over the area—and not likely to work at all. Of course, he would be there to ensure the failure of the plan.

He still did not know exactly what was planned for him, but he was sure it would come soon enough after he saved Lisa. It was only a matter of time before his own gruesome end played out. His boss, who had loaned him out on the Keefe hit, was not the type to let failures go lightly. Jackson was not shocked at all by the deaths that had plagued Lisa as she watched her friends die—and eventually her family and herself.

But the fact remained that her death would weigh on his conscious—if he still had one left—and Jackson did not want to live with it. The regret alone would kill him as surely as any assassin's bullet.

It was not Lisa Reisert's time to die. And he would gladly give up his own worthless life to save hers. His hands were stained with over a decade's worth of bloodshed and torment. He did not deserve to live if she was to die.

He would see it that she lived.

**Author's Notes:**.

There's only about four chapters left now, so the story is beginning to wrap up. I'm sorry for any spelling errors in this chapter or the last one because I'm having vision problems at the moment. I seem to have caught another cold and my good eye is always watering (little known fact: I'm almost completely blind in my right eye) so it makes seeing things very difficult, especially since I can't wear my glasses.

Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	8. Chapter Seven

**Clear Line of Sight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Seven**

_Present Day_

They burst from their cover together; Jackson with a gun aimed to the left as Lisa aimed at the right. They stood back-to-back with their legs spread and both arms stretched out and balancing the gun; the traditional firing stance. Lisa was still shaking, but Jackson's voice was calm and even as he reassured her.

Of course, it was not as easy as planned.

They were standing there for only a few moments—the longest minute of their lives—before the assassins appeared with their semi-automatics in tow. They had traded in their sniper rifles and scopes for more close-range, high-powered weapons. Weapons that would tear Lisa and Jackson apart.

Jackson fired first; a steady stream of bullets firing with a deafening retort—he had left his company-issued silencer at home. Lisa jumped at the initial sound but she soon fired haltingly at the hit man closest to her.

The hit men returned fire a split-second after Jackson yanked Lisa down. They hurried to the next piece of cover—a stone-walled planter. They crouched beside it, Jackson checking on Lisa as he reloaded their guns. Before the assassins could reach them, they jumped to their feet and fired first, then ducked before the return fire dug into the wall protecting them.

Jackson fired as their enemies reloaded and one of the men stumbled before Jackson finished him off with a clean shot to the head. Lisa was gasping for air and trembling as Jackson ushered her towards the next safe spot.

"Ssh, it's okay, Leese. Come on, let's go!" he urged, pushing her forward gently and spinning around to fire back at the remaining assassin.

Lisa ran; her high heels clanging loudly on the cement. The gun was clutched tightly in her right hand and she occasionally glanced over her shoulder towards Jackson.

A loud, muffled groan stopped her in her tracks. Her green eyes widened in horror just before she screamed.

"Jackson!" she shrieked as he stumbled backwards and towards the ground; his right hand gripping his heaving chest as blood streaked the pale fabric. "No! NO!"

The assassin stepped towards the fallen manager and placed the muzzle of his gun to Jackson's forehead. Jackson shot him a cold look as a smile crossed the hit man's face.

The semi-automatic made a clicking sound and the smile disappeared. He was out of ammunition.

That's when Lisa Reisert blew him away.

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry for the delay and the incredibly short chapter. I know I promised to update faster, but it's just not going to be possible at the moment. When I can, I will update, but I don't know if it will be fairly quickly or if it'll be weeks before I update.

Some major things have cropped up in my life and I have to take some time off to deal with them. I'm unofficially in "hiding". I'm not lying either.

I wish I was. I wish it was all a bad dream. But it's not.

For those you who read 'Obsession', you might have already had a clue. But the events in that series are very much based on my life. I didn't realize it at the time, but 'Obsession' is almost a biography. And it's not as Jackson…

That's all I want to say at the moment.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Clear Line of Sight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Eight**

_Present Day_

Lisa bent down beside Jackson, her pale hands trailing lightly through the blood seeping through the fabric of his shirt. She pulled his weakened body towards her chest; small sobs wracking her own worn-out body.

"No, no! Don't leave me!" she cried.

"Ssh…" he gasped. "You'll be fine."

"Jackson, don't die. Please…"

He reached a bloody hand up to wipe some tears from her cheek. She whimpered and gripped his warm hand tightly. Jackson's blue eyes were eerily calm as lay sprawled on the ground with his head and chest cradled in her lap.

"You know what you have to do…" he reminded her quietly.

Lisa shook her head. "No—not without you. I won't—"

"Ssh, Leese. It's okay…everything's gonna be fine."

"You need help. I need to get you to a hospital—"

"It's only a scratch." He shot her a half-smile as she glanced worriedly at the bullet wound. "I'll live."

"No, I can't—don't ask me to—"

"Ssh, it's okay. It's all gonna be okay now. Do you trust me?"

Lisa refused to look at him or to responed. They could both hear the ambulances and police sirens shrieking away in the distance. It was only a matter of minutes or seconds before they would be torn apart—perhaps never to see each other again.

"Lisa, you have to get away from here. Now, do you trust me?" Jackson's tone was deadly serious as he touched her cheek and then angled her face down towards him.

"I don't."

He smirked at her; a hint of his usual self showing through. "Good. Keep it that way. I need you to get out of here though. There'll be more of them coming and if you're detained by anyone—you're dead. I'm already as good as dead, so don't come looking for me."

"But, Jackson—" she tried to protest. Despite the many nights she had lain awake and wished for him to die; she did not want him dying in her place. This was her fight for her life. Too many people had been killed because of her and she did not want to add him to the growing list.

"Listen to me, Leese. You will leave me here and you will run. You'll take that gun and you'll get as far away from here as you can. Then, you'll finish it. Promise me that you'll stay safe."

They sat in silence for a moment, his hand resting upon her cheek and her clinging to his dying body.

_How can you refuse the wishes of a dying man? Even if he survives long enough to be admitted to the hospital, they won't let him live. They'll find a way to kill him—we both know it. How can I do that?_

"Promise me, Leese."

The sirens were growing louder. Help was almost there.

"Promise me…"

His voice was weakening, his blue eyes softening as the intensity and life began to fade…

"Lisa…"

He was waiting on her; clinging desperately to life as he waited for her to promise him. To assure him that his sacrifice was not in vain. To allow him peace as he slipped from life into the darkness. She was his last chance to do some good in his miserable life.

Lisa gripped his hand tightly and nodded. "I promise, Jackson. I swear that'll end this. I won't let this continue—it ends here."

He tried to manage a smile, but failed. She could see the pain beginning to grip him and rob him of his strength. He had tried to fake it for her sake, but he could no longer ignore it.

"Hold on…" Lisa whispered to him; his voice halting and cracking under the emotional strain. "Don't stop fighting… don't give in…"

Jackson tried to suppress a groan. He was fading fast.

"Don't you dare leave me, Jackson. Do you hear me?"

The sirens were deafening and she could see the flashing lights. Their time was up.

She bent down and kissed him quickly; a brief show of affection that she had longed for. She could have loved him, had things played out differently. And here, at the end of his life, it was the least she could do.

She could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile as Jackson closed his crystalline eyes and she carefully shifted his body to the ground.

"Good-bye, Jackson. Rest in peace," she whispered before picking up her purse and the gun he had given her. With one last look at her former captor—her savior—she disappeared into the gathering crowd.

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry for the long wait. I'm still dealing with a lot, but I finally had enough written that there was an actual chapter. There's not a lot of action in this chapter, but there will hopefully be some in the next chapter as Lisa continues on her own. Only two more chapters to go and then this story is done.

Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	10. Chapter Nine

**Clear Line of Sight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Nine**

_A few hours later…_

Lisa Reisert was really beginning to hate the news.

Still dressed in her bloody clothes, she lay curled up on the bed of her motel room. The only thing the cheap room had besides a semi-decent shower was cable TV. Jackson had warned her not to use her credit cards and to frugally spend her cash. He had given her a large wad of his own money to add to her small amount of walk-around money. She had tried to refuse him, but he had shoved it into her purse. And once he was shot...

"Eight bystanders were gunned down earlier today in a mid-day shoot out at an outdoor shopping plaza. At least twenty more have been hospitalized for various injuries and two are currently in critical condition…" the newscaster began and footage from earlier in the day played on the screen.

The yellow 'Police Line – Do Not Cross' tape was already in place and flapping in a light breeze as bodies were covered and wounded civilians were wheeled out on stretchers to the waiting ambulances. Lisa scurried to the edge of her bed and craned her head at the small color TV.

"Please," she whispered urgently. "Jackson, please…"

Her eyes scanned the low-quality picture for any sign of the dark-haired man who had saved her life. She could see no covered bodies near the area in which they had hidden, unless the grainy images were distorting her sense of the events.

_He might still be alive…Jackson might still be alive…_

A slight smile crossed her face at the very thought. He was clever, even when wounded, and if they were lucky, he might be able to escape the hospital alive.

_Unless they already killed you on the way…_

The reporter continued on until the next report flashed onto the screen. Lisa's ears pricked up at the sound of "Blossom Palms Lane".

"Police responded to the 9-1-1 call concerning a prowler, only to discover the scene of a brutal home invasion. The owner of the house, Joseph Reisert, was discovered inside and nothing appeared to be missing. The police are asking for any information that might pertain to the ongoing investigation and also any information about his missing daughter, Lisa Reisert."

Her heart stopped. _No…not daddy! No!_

"Miss Reisert was last seen over three days ago. Since then, no one has seen or heard from her. She is considered by the police to be a missing person."

A photograph of herself, smiling, was posted on the screen.

_Three days? But I just saw dad the other day…_

"The phone number is—"

Lisa clicked off the set. This news crew was only giving the people hunting her an advantage. Now with the entire world alerted to her disappearance it was of vital importance that she complete her mission before they caught up to her. Jackson had given her a few tips, but it was nothing compared to having the experienced manager with her.

"Never again," she whispered, cradling the gun. "It'll never happen again."

The dial on her watch read 10pm. _Showtime…_

* * *

_Present Day – 10:30pm_

The dark blazer she had found in the backseat of her car helped her to conceal the gun and cover the bloodstains on her shirt. Her left arm and shoulder still throbbed from bullet wound she had received earlier in the day. But there was no time for her to seek medical attention.

Lisa blended into the shadows on the side of the building and she steered clear of the cameras as Jackson had warned. In a few moments, her target would come if Jackson was to be believed, and she would no longer have to look over her shoulder.

Any worry she had about being ill prepared or any qualms she had about killing another man had flown away with the news report of her father's death.

A light drizzle began to fall and she titled her head back, allowing the raindrops to mix with the tear streaks from her crying jag on the car ride over. Her curls frizzed and slowly began to be weighed down as the rain picked up in intensity.

Footsteps sounds and Lisa tightened her grip on the handle of the gun. A dark shape appeared at the corner of her vision from the door that Jackson had described.

The man jogged closer and she waited for him. When he was within earshot, she stumbled into his field of view, shaking and sobbing and her blazer flapping loose and allowing him glimpses of her torn and bloody clothing.

"Miss, are you okay?" he questioned, reaching out to touch her arm.

Hysterical, Lisa screamed and swatted his hand away. "No!!!"

"Miss, what happened?"

Calmly and coolly, she straightened up and aimed the gun at him. He froze mid-step with his right hand half-way reaching into his pocket, presumably for a cell phone.

"Keep your hands where I can see them," she ordered, clicking the safety off the gun.

_Don't give him a chance to attack back_…

"Miss?"

"Shut up!"

"Are you okay?"

_"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Joe inquired._

"I said shut up!" Lisa yelled, the gun quivering in her grasp.

"What do you want? Money?"

"No—I want what you took from me."

"I've never seen you before in my life," protested the stranger—a middle-age man losing his hair to male-pattern baldness.

"Look closer because you have. I'm the woman that you put a contract against. I'm the woman whose life _you_ _stole_!!"

"Listen, miss, I swear—"

Lisa took a step closer and jabbed the loaded weapon at his heart. "My name is Lisa Reisert and you killed my father, my best friend, two innocent hard-working men, and the one man I might have been able to trust. You _killed_ them!"

A sly smile crossed his face. "Ah, Rippner's favorite. Is he here too? Oh, Rippner—" the man began to sing-song.

"Jackson's dead," Lisa snapped harshly. "Thanks to your men and their orders, he's dead. I watched him die."

"So you decided to come after me? Tell me, little girl, what are you hoping to accomplish?"

The rain was pounding down now—drenching them both as they stood in the middle of the sidewalk.

"I want you to make the call. Call off your dogs and I'll let you walk away from here. You tell them to leave me and everyone else close to me alive and I'll let you live."

"Or?"

"I kill you and anyone else who gets in my way. Do you have a family, Mr. Hoffman? I think Jackson told me about something about a wife and, what was it, two children?" Lisa hissed, baiting him. She had no intention of killing any innocent people but her tone and body language suggested otherwise.

"I—I have no idea what you're talking about," he said nervously.

"Make the call and all four of you can live. Cancel the hits."

She pressed the gun against his chest once again and he shook. He had calmly ordered the death of innocent people for years and had never thought that one of them might come after him. Any other man in his position would have had bodyguards, but he apparently had not worried about such trivial matters.

"You know that some of them will still go after you."

"No they won't. Jackson told me _everything_ about your little organization. I know _exactly_ how everything works. They won't disobey your orders."

"Jackson did."

Lisa snorted. "Jackson _quit_. He left you scumbags to fail and to die."

"Can I get my phone? Or are you going to shoot me?"

Grudgingly, she stepped back and allowed him to reach for the cell phone.

_How did I become so cold? How can I stand here like one of them and do this? This is Jackson's job, not mine…_

_But it's the only way to save my life._

She waited while he made the appropriate phone calls. Once he was finished, she pocketed his cell phone and told him to get lost.

As soon as the terrorized man turned to run, Lisa shot him in the back.

He fell face down into the growing puddle of water on the sidewalk. The rain washed his blood down into a storm drain and she watched him for several minutes before sloshing her way back to her car.

For the second time that day, she had killed a man.

**Author's Notes:**

Yeah, Lisa's a little bit on the vicious side this chapter. But then her best friend was murdered, her father was murdered, Keefe was killed, and so was the detective because they knew her and they knew about the case. Not to mention she was shot and she had to watch Jackson waste away in her arms.

I think that's enough to make any normal person snap, not to mention Lisa who's probably been pretty edgy. Besides, she had two choices: kill him or be killed.

Hopefully that all makes sense and Lisa isn't too OOC. Only one more chapter to go and you'll all find out what happened to Jackson. Thanks for reading/reviewing!

_RESPONSES TO REVIEWS:_

Maria- Thanks:)

athena- Thank you so much! I hadn't even thought of that until you mentioned it! But I promise that this story has a happier ending:)


	11. Chapter Ten

**Clear Line of Sight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Ten**

_Present Day – 11pm_

Blood-streaked and soaked to the bone, Lisa stumbled into the Emergency Room at the hospital closest to the shopping plaza. The news had mentioned the name of where the patients had been taken, though exact the name escaped her scattered thoughts at the moment.

Not that it mattered, because as soon as she saw the chaos, she knew she had the right hospital.

Her high heels clicked loudly as she raced to the triage nurse's desk. The harried looking woman glanced up when she saw noticed Lisa's wild-looking appearance. Her hair was soaked and frizzed and the bullet wound she had suffered was bleeding again. Not to mention the rips, blood, and grime that covered her ruined clothes.

"Miss, are you okay?"

"I need to know about Jackson Rippner. R-I-P-P-N-E-R. He was shot earlier today in the attack on the plaza. I need to find him!" Lisa cried out, trembling as she spoke.

"Miss, are you bleeding?"

"Where's Jackson! Where is he?!!" She knew she was hysterical, but she no longer cared. All that mattered at the moment was finding out about Jackson.

"Miss, what's your name?"

"Lisa, Lisa Reisert! WHERE'S JACKSON?!"

"I need you to calm down so that I can find that out. Now, are you related to him?"

"Yes, I'm—we're engaged!" she fibbed quickly. In the back of her mind she knew that hospitals had strict policies about patient confidentiality.

"Okay, now can you describe him?"

She froze for a moment. _Describe him? Why would I do that? Is he a John Doe? Did they already send him to the morgue without a name? Oh God…_

"He's got, umm, brown hair, blue eyes—very blue eyes…" she said quietly. Her head was spinning and she was suddenly feeling dizzy.

"Miss? Miss?" the nurse's concerned voice called out as she slipped towards the unforgiving floor.

"Ssh, Leese, I've got you now," a familiar voice called.

* * *

_Present Day – Midnight_

When her eyes fluttered open around an hour later, everything was still spinning and she felt lightheaded.

Her wounded shoulder and arm were bandaged carefully and there was an IV line dripping into her hand. Stark white sheets covered her battered body and she contemplated going back to sleep until she saw him.

Jackson was standing with his back to her as he stared out the window into the dark night. Only a sliver of moon was visible and all the stars were missing from the sky. She could see old scars criss-crossing on his bare back in the brief light. Any ordinary man would have died from the wounds he had suffered throughout his career or his life and they certainly would not still be alive following the wound he had suffered. He should not have even been alive, let alone standing in the same hospital room as her.

Quietly, Lisa sat up and slipped her weary body out from under the covers. She carefully untaped and removed her IV and shuffled across the room to him. He jumped when she touched his bare skin lightly with her fingertips and spun around to face her. White bandages covered the recent hole in his chest, but there were scars there as well.

"Hey," she whispered quietly; a faint smile crossing her face.

"You should be in bed," he responded; a hint of a scolding in his tone. But Jackson was smirking as he spoke.

"I could say the same thing about you."

Her legs started to give out and he quickly grabbed her. Lisa whimpered as he accidentally touched her wound.

"Ssh, it's okay now. You're okay—you're safe."

She leaned her head against his chest and he pulled her closer; barely sucking in his breath as she touched his own wound. The faint grimace of pain disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared. Tears began to fall from her moist green eyes.

"I thought—I thought you were dead!" Lisa sobbed.

"I'm not, Leese. I'm here, I'm still here. I won't leave you."

He titled her chin towards his face with a slender finger. She blinked the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath.

Jackson carefully wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I won't ever leave you again. I promise that, Lisa."

She nodded and a smile crossed his face before he bent his head down and she titled her head up to meet him. They kissed for a short moment and then he helped her back over to the bed and sat beside her with their hands entwined as they stared out the window into the unknown.

**Author's Notes:**

Kind of a sappy ending, I know, but I couldn't help myself. It's over though! I think I might cry now…

Thanks so very much for reading/reviewing! I'll hopefully be editing my mistakes in the next few weeks, so all the little typos will disappear.


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